The Hunted
by Harold3456
Summary: With Dell Conagher dead, there is only one person with the power to get his machines running-his daughter Julie. Dell's RED teammates must hurry to save Julie from the attacking BLU team. Based on the game mode of the same name.


_I got this idea for a story after playing a TF2 game mode called "The Hunted", where the heavier classes need to escort an unarmed Engineer through dangerous territory while being constantly harassed by Scouts, Spies, Pyros and Snipers. I haven't abandoned The Island – I finished a chapter yesterday, so it'll be up next week after proofreading – but I went through a bit of a self-realization crisis where I noticed that too many of my stories were zombie-related, and I felt like I had to break the mould. Please review so I know if I should make new chapters, although I assure you the final two chapters of the Island will take precedent over updates to this story._

"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

The crisp, urgent voice of the Announcer reverberated through the old farmhouse, forcefully wrenching Julie Conagher out of her slumber.

"Chuck! Chuck, get up!" Julie cried, shaking her husband's shoulder. Chuck Smith, who had been fast asleep mere seconds earlier, leaped out of bed and immediately sprang into action.

"Get dressed, Julie!" Chuck ordered, crossing the large bedroom to a set of nine security monitors. Julie could see the screens from her bed, and even though it was night and the images weren't very clear, she could see figures creeping across the yard outside.

Groggy, confused, and frightened, Julie hurried out of bed, struggling to untangle herself from her bedsheets. She threw open her closet doors, scanning the shelves, still trying to clear her head. After a second, she pulled out a pair of jeans and a white undershirt. Chuck, still wearing only a pair of boxers, scanned the security monitors.

"What is it?" Julie asked, pulling on a red, collared shirt. Chuck ignored her, immediately crossing to the other side of the room and lifting a satellite photo of the farm off the wall. Behind this photo was a small, metal panel, built into the wall. Chuck opened the panel to reveal a keypad, and punched in six numbers.

With a whir, the entire wall slid open, revealing at least a dozen weapons resting on hooks in front of the couple, all of them labelled, with corresponding boxes of ammunition beneath them.

"Chuck, honey, what the hell is going on?" Julie demanded, her voice cracking in fear.

"We don't have much time, babe," Chuck replied, grabbing two bulletproof vests from hooks in this secret compartment, and handing one to her. "So listen to what I have to say, it may mean the difference between life and death."

"WHAT?" Julie cried.

"Put the vest on, babe, please!" Chuck did up his own vest, and then scanned the array of weapons. His eyes rested on a long, unorthodox looking shotgun labelled "Frontier Justice". He grabbed it off its hooks, and thumbed three shells into it. "Now, before I tell you anything, I want you to understand that I have done all of this out of love for you. Do you understand that?"

Julie nodded, pulling on a running shoe. Chuck slung the shotgun across his back, and grabbed a lethal, hooked wrench labelled "Southern Hospitality" off its hooks. "I was hired by your father to protect you, three years ago. The wedding, the house, the farm... everything we own was completely paid for by him, as a means of offering you protection against his enemies. Follow me."

Chuck reached out to grab Julie's arm, and drag her out of the bedroom. Instead, Julie backed away from him, her eyes wide.

"We don't have time for this, babe!" Chuck hissed, glancing over at the security monitors.

"My dad HIRED you?" Julie demanded. "I'm just a _JOB_?"

Chuck cursed under his breath, and then crossed the room to embrace Julie, putting the Southern Hospitality down on the bed. "You were never just a job," Chuck assured her, kissing her quickly. "I love you, and I always have. Without this duty, however, I never would've had the means to marry you. Now please, follow me."

Her mind still whirling, Julie nonetheless noted her husband's urgent tone, and followed Chuck out of the bedroom. They walked down a dark hallway, passing numerous photos on the wall, including one picture of a smiling, bald man in overalls and a yellow hard hat – her father, Dell Conagher. Chuck and Julie ran downstairs into their wide, spacious living room. Chuck hurried to the alarm system and pressed a button, causing metal shutters to go down over all the windows.

"Stay down!" He called to Julie, and she knelt behind a couch. "This will buy us a few minutes, but not much!"

Julie looked over at the nearest shuttered window. Through the metal, she could see the silhouette of a man holding a shotgun creeping along the wall. She nudged Chuck, and pointed to him.

Chuck grabbed the phone off the wall, and started turning the dial feverishly. The person he was calling answered on the first ring.

"Hello? Yes, I need to speak to the Administrator. This is extremely urgent, tell him it's Chuck Smith, and we've got a code blue! Did you tell him – what? Sir, we've got a situation thirteen on our hands – yeah, it's bad. They're outside now, but it'll only be a matter of time... yeah, uh-huh, I saw at least four – two Scouts, maybe three, and a Spy... How long until reinforcements come?"

Julie watched as Chuck spoke on the phone, glancing furtively in each direction as he did so. Chuck, with that clear-cut Pennsylvania accent that made him sound like a city boy, and his short brown hair, who otherwise could be a dead-ringer for her father, Dell. Chuck, who she had met at an Engineering course in university, and who had gotten his first job working as an apprentice for Dell Conagher as a repairman for old automobiles and aircraft, a job which had killed Dell only three months ago, leaving Julie an orphan and Chuck without a teacher.

Chuck hung up the phone, and turned to Julie. "Follow me."

"ATTENTION!" The Announcer's voice called over the speakers. "The BLU Spy has breached the perimeter!"

Seconds later, Julie heard a crashing sound in another part of the house. Somebody had forcefully broken into the house.

"Shit," Chuck muttered. He knelt down near a large vent, and flipped the cover open. "Get in," He ordered.

"What?"

"You have to get in, babe, now. These vents were built to serve as makeshift escape tunnels! I need you to crawl inside, and wait for me. If I don't follow in ten minutes," Chuck took off his watch, and pressed it into her hands, "then I want you to get out of here! Go East, through the wheat field, that's your best bet!"

"I'm not leaving you!" Julie cried. At that moment, there was a crashing sound in the kitchen. Chuck slammed the vent cover shut, twisting the screws with his fingers and trapping her inside. "Go!"

Julie watched as Chuck crept across the living room, holding his shotgun in hands that he couldn't keep from shaking. Chuck peered into the kitchen, and then pressed himself against the wall, keeping to the shadows. At that moment, Julie saw a man stepping out of the kitchen, into the living room. The man had brown hair, a blue, sleeveless shirt, and was wearing a blue beanie. He had an aluminum bat in his hand. Judging from his relaxed posture, he hadn't noticed Chuck's presence.

The man walked right past Chuck, who fell into step behind him, raising the Frontier Justice to bear on the man's back.

"Joey, look out!" A second, similarly dressed intruder cried. Joey, the man in the beanie, turned around. Julie saw his eyes widen in shock, and then Joey grabbed the barrel of the shotgun, and Chuck pulled the trigger.

Joey managed to push the barrel of the gun away in time, and the shot that was meant for his torso ended up destroying a photo on the wall behind his head. Chuck pushed the man back, and cocked the shotgun. Joey stumbled backward, grabbing a small table for balance, and Chuck aimed the shotgun again.

Pistol shots tore through the house, and Chuck leaped over the nearby couch, taking cover behind it as the second intruder unloaded a full pistol clip. The second man, dressed in identical baggy clothes, his pants tucked into his socks, yet with his brown hair greased and slicked back, reloaded his clip.

Joey, the first of the two young men, jumped over the couch after Chuck. Julie's husband swung the Southern Hospitality, striking Joey in the face. He lost his balance, falling through the coffee table, which splintered and collapsed under his weight. Joey was on his back, and Chuck swung the Southern Hospitality in a vertical chop. Joey rolled out of the way, and the bladed wrench buried itself in the hardwood floor.

Chuck had his back to the second man, and the intruder capitalized on this opportunity, pulling a wooden baseball bat from a ball bag and charging down the hall. Julie wanted to scream to warn Chuck, but it was too late. The other man leaped over the couch, bringing the bat down on her husband's shoulder with a crack from midair. Chuck crumpled to the ground.

"Yeah!" Chuck's attacker exclaimed. "You want some of this? Bonk!"

"Vince," Joey rose to his feet, rubbing his shoulder. "Did you kill him?"

Vince, Chuck's attacker, prodded the downed man with his bat. "Nah, he's just wounded." Vince poked Chuck's head with the bat. "Yo, what's up? I'm a force of nature!"

"I'll turn off the security," Joey said.

"Yeah, you will!" Vince replied. "Get Claude, while you're at it! And hurry!" Vince nodded down at Chuck, who was groaning in pain. "I don't know how long this moron's gonna stay conscious!"

Joey disappeared, leaving Vince alone with Chuck. Vince drew his pistol again, pointing it at Chuck's head. "You know why we're here, don't ya?" Vince asked. Chuck groaned, raising himself up on his elbows and attempting to crawl. Vince kicked him in the ribs, and he went back down with a cough. Julie, watching the whole scene from the cover of the vent, refrained from gasping.

"You've got potential as a mercenary." Vince told Chuck, "You really, really do. Ya almost killed Joey, back there." Vince barked a laugh. "That ain't sayin' much, though. What I'm sayin' is that this doesn't have to end badly for you! We can fix you right up, and make you our newest Engineer. How'd you like that? All you have to do is tell us where to find Dell's daughter."

"Step aside, Vince." A new, deeper voice called. Julie shifted her position in the vent, and saw the speaker. A tall man wearing a blue, pin-striped suit, his face hidden in a ski mask, stepped into the living room. He had a cigarette in one hand.

"You'd better start talking, asshole," Vince whispered audibly to Chuck. "If you don't tell Claude what he wants, dat shoulder'll be the least of your problems!"

The tall man, Claude, walked right up to Chuck, putting the toe of one dress shoe against the man's cheek. "Sit up," He said, in an accent that was clearly French.

Vince forced Chuck to a kneeling position, facing the Frenchman with his back to Julie.

"I'm going to ask you a question, but before I do, I want you to think hard about exactly how you wish to spend the remainder of your life. If you ever want to see your parents, your friends, or anybody else ever again, you will answer completely truthfully. If you lie to me – and I will know if you're lying – then you will die here, in this room. Do you understand me?"

Chuck grunted. The Frenchman took a drag of his cigarette. "Good. Now tell me – where is Julie Conagher?"

"She left this morning – urgent business, didn't say when she'd be back."

The Frenchman looked pensive for a second, and then he smiled. "Have you already forgotten what I said about lying, Charles Smith? Don't play me for a fool!"

The Frenchman suddenly rammed his cigarette into Chuck's face, and Julie's husband screamed. She winced at the sound, but she couldn't turn her head away from the vent.

"Now where is she?" Claude shouted. "I demand you tell me!"

"Fuck you," Chuck replied, "and your entire fucking organization, you rat!" He spat on the Frenchman's shoe.

"Very well." The Frenchman turned his back to Chuck, and stepped away. "You aren't a hero, you redneck, country oaf! You aren't saving her life by keeping quiet. We've got Snipers on the hills, and Pyros circling the building. If she's still on the property, then she isn't leaving without our knowledge. You will die for nothing. This is your last chance."

"We have powerful friends," Chuck replied, staring the Frenchman in the eyes. "Reinforcements are on their way here right now. You will never catch her, you caviar-eating, cowardly surrender-monkey!"

The Frenchman whirled around suddenly, and in his hand was a massive, silver revolver. He aimed it at Chuck's head, and fired. Blood spattered everywhere, as the shot echoed throughout the farmhouse. Julie suppressed a cry as her husband collapsed to the ground, motionless.

Claude adjusted his suit jacket, and then holstered his pistol and turned away. "Find the woman," he ordered, lighting another cigarette as he walked away.

"You just got dominated, knucklehead!" Vince shouted at the corpse, before turning and following the suited man.

Covering her mouth to mask the sounds of her sobs, Julie crawled through the dusty vent. She took a few turns, following the ventilation shaft as it descended downward. The vent started widening as it got deeper underground, and soon Julie was sprinting through a duct that was wide enough to be an underground tunnel.

Her shoes slapped against the rocky floor, and tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she replayed Chuck's execution in her mind, and she tried to digest everything that he had told her. Their entire marriage had been a lie; a web of deceit that had been fabricated by her father in an attempt to protect her. And what was Dell, a simple car repairman, even protecting her from? Who were those men who had broken into her house and killed her husband?

There was light at the end of the tunnel, coming from up above. Julie realized that the underground tunnel ended at the old well, which sat on a hill overlooking the farmhouse. There was a rusty, yellow ladder leading up, towards the starry sky above. Julie stopped at the ladder, taking a second to rest against it, and then started the climb up. The ladder rattled as she ascended, and she moved slowly to avoid alerting any would-be attackers to her presence.

She climbed out of the well, breathing heavily, her clothes dirty, her nose plugged and her eyes watery. She collapsed on the wet grass beside the well, feeling the dew soaking into her jeans at the knees, and looked out at the house.

The farmhouse was completely dark, as if it were empty, although Julie knew that wasn't the case. There were three men inside, if not more, searching for her. She could see two more men outside the house, searching the perimeter. Even from her distance, she could tell that one of them was stooped, wearing a gas mask, and wielding what was possibly a flamethrower.

"Hello, miss."

Julie cried out in surprise at the voice, and whirled around to face the man who had addressed her. She saw a tall, thin man in a brown vest, sunglasses and fedora standing over her, wearing an impish smile on his face. In his hands he held a long, menacing sniper rifle.

"You seem to be a tad lost now, eh, Sheila?" The man said pleasantly, with a strong Australian accent. "Now, I wouldn't be doing my job as a gentleman if I didn't get you in out of the cold!"

"W-who are you?" Julie asked.

"I'm the mate who's going to bring you in," The man replied, although his tone darkened noticeably. "Now there are two ways we can do this, Miss Conagher, the easy way..." Slowly, deliberately, the man's right hand went to the scope of his gun, and he flicked the lens cap up. "Or the hard way." He growled these last few words.

Julie rose slowly to her feet. She was only a foot away from the Aussie, who stood almost a full head taller than her. The well was to their right, and behind the Sniper was the wheat field, which she could easily disappear in if she could get there.

"There you go!" The Sniper exclaimed, victoriously. "Now, Sheila, don't look so glum, us BLU's aren't so bad once you get to know us-"

Julie shoved the Sniper with all her might. He fell backwards, squawking a surprised yelp, losing his grip on his rifle. Julie ran past him, hurrying towards the wheat field.

"Hey! Get back here!" The Sniper shouted. Julie didn't look back, or slow down. She sprinted as fast as she could toward the field, which was fifty yards from the well, on a downhill slope.

"Pyro!" The Sniper was screaming. "Scouts! We've got 'er!"

Julie glanced over her shoulder, and saw the Sniper kneeling down on the hilltop, beside the well. He was looking through the scope of his rifle at her, watching her.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, as she anticipated the rifle crack that would be the last sound she ever heard. The Sniper didn't take the shot, however, even as Julie reached the wooden fence that marked the perimeter of the wheat field, and climbed over it.

Julie bolted through the wheat, feeling the six-foot tall plants slapping against her as she ran. She knew the field well – there was a creek running through it, and a forest on the far side. She wanted to reach that forest.

"Let's get her!" A voice called from behind her – she recognized it as the voice of one of the fast-talking Brooklyn boys who had assaulted Chuck.

Julie lost her footing, falling and splashing into the knee-deep creek, soaking herself. She rose to her feet again, and scrabbled up the opposite bank.

"Whoo-hoo!" She heard one of her pursuers cry. Seconds later, she heard feet splashing into the creek behind her. They were moving unnaturally fast, and gaining on her.

"I got her! I got her!"

Julie glanced over her shoulder, and saw the bushes rustling behind her. One of the boys was right on her tail, and catching up. He leapt at her, and she felt his hands on her shoulders as he pulled her to the ground.

The boy rolled off her, and she tried to regain her composure, but he was faster. He jumped to his feet, and had his pistol trained on her in an instant.

"Please," Julie sobbed, on her hands and knees. "What do you people want from me?"

The boy grinned devilishly, and then said, "You're gonna wish your Dad never had you!"

Suddenly, Julie heard a sound in the distance – she instantly recognized it as the sound the rockets made on TV when they took off. She saw the Scout's smile disappear in an instant, and then something struck him, and Julie was blinded by an explosion of light. She felt warm liquid hit her, and when she opened her eyes, only a pile of body parts lay sprawled before her. She opened her mouth to scream, and then felt a rough hand over her mouth.

"Don't make a sound," somebody hissed into her ear. "Ve are friends of Dell Conagher!"

Julie let the man lead her out of the wheat field, and into the forest. She saw more men in the woods, wearing red outfits. They were all knelt down behind trees and rocks.

"Get down!" A man wearing a drill sergeant's hat and red trench coat shouted. "There's a Sniper on yonder hill!"

Sure enough, a blue laser sight was dancing among the trees. The man who Julie had followed, a tall, black-haired man in a lab coat, took a seat next to a large, bald man behind a rock.

"Who are you?" Julie asked, squatting next to the doctor.

"I am ze Medic," The man replied. "Zis is ze Heavy Weapons Guy," He gestured to the large, bald man, "and zhese are our Soldiers, Butch," The Medic pointed to the man in the drill sergeant hat, "and Rufus," he pointed to a second man, also wearing a trench coat, but with an army helmet on his head, who was peering intently over a large rock. "You have Butch to thank for saving your life."

Butch turned to look at Julie, and nodded his head. She noticed a large rocket launcher resting on his shoulder.

"Let's get moving," Butch said to the others, "Tavish, booby trap the area!"

A black man wearing an eye patch stepped out of the shadows, and proceeded to shoot sticky bombs at the trees as the others retreated deeper into the woods. The Medic grabbed Julie's shoulder. "Come with us," he whispered, "Zhe BLUs are going to want to regroup, but as soon as zhey know who zhey are dealing with, zhey will return."

"They brought a party of Scouts," Rufus added. "They obviously didn't expect any resistance. They're gonna have to rethink their strategy."

Julie, surrounded by the five men, walked briskly away from the forest's edge, deeper into the woods. The largest man in the group – the Heavy – stayed very close to her right hand side, as if to shield her with his body from any threats.

Julie looked around at the men surrounding her. With the exception of the Medic, they were all quite large, and held very lethal looking weapons in their hands. The Heavy Weapons Guy was carrying a gigantic minigun, while Tavish, the black Cyclops, held what looked like a grenade launcher. His vest was lined with pipe bombs, as well. The two Soldiers, Butch and Rufus, held rocket launchers, although Butch's rocket launcher was slightly smaller, with a small scope on it. Butch also wore a backpack, which appeared to be holding a bugle inside.

"Who are you?" Julie repeated. "Wh-who were _they_?"

"Those, my dear," Butch said, "were the friendly folks of the Builders' League United!"

"They are the enemy!" Rufus added.

"Th-they killed Chuck!" Julie said, practically whispering this sentence. "You –" She turned to Butch, "You killed one of them!"

"Us employees of Reliable Excavations and Demolitions aren't exactly on great terms with those lads!" Tavish said, glancing over his shoulder. Julie looked back as well, following his eyes. Fifty yards away, at the forest's edge, the BLU Sniper had gotten down on one knee, and was staring through his rifle at the REDs. Julie tensed, expecting him to take a shot, but Tavish pressed a button on a small remote control, and the woods exploded around the Sniper. He disappeared in the fire, and Julie saw the rifle spinning through the air, with one severed hand still on the stock. She shivered.

"What have I gotten into the middle of?" Julie asked, as the smoke cleared behind them. She had just seen three people killed in one night.

"Don't be worried," The Heavy Weapons Guy said. "BLUs are babies."

"He's right!" Butch agreed. "The BLU team underestimated our ability to protect you, and tried to make a quick grab. As far as I saw, their entire strike team consists of Scouts, Pyros, and Snipers!"

"What does that mean?" Julie asked. "What are Scouts?"

"That gangly kid who took you down in the wheat field – he's a Scout." Rufus informed her.

"Scouts are the rodents of the battlefield," Butch added. "They dart around; their entire strategy is based on their speed. They may be able to outrun us, but they can't outfight us!"

Julie looked around at the trees, all around. The moonlight cast shadows everywhere, making this familiar forest seem very threatening. "What if they try to surround us?"

"Then Ivan here," Tavish pointed at the Heavy Weapons Guy, "will put them in their place. Scouts fear him – and with good reason."

Julie looked into the man's face. He was wearing a scowl which seemed permanently etched onto his visage, and he carried a weapon which was probably heavier than Julie was. She could see why the Scouts feared him.

"There was a man down there... he was French, and he wore a suit! He seemed to be their leader!" Julie said.

Butch and Rufus glanced at each other. Tavish cursed. It was the Medic, whoever, who said, "Zhey have a Spy."

"Maybe they aren't as dumb as we thought," Tavish groaned.

"Why? W-what's wrong?" Julie asked.

"Spies are the worst of the bunch," Tavish explained. "They can take the likeness of anybody they want, and use those disguises to move freely among us! A well-trained Spy can take out an entire team of enemies single-handedly."

"They probably used Claude," Ivan said, in a slow, halting Russian accent.

"I-I think I heard one of the Scouts say that name," Julie replied. "Who's Claude?"

"Claude is the best that the BLUs have." Butch explained. "He blends into the shadows at will, and carries a massive cannon of a gun that he calls the Ambassador."

"Claude was the man who killed my husband," Julie muttered, remembering the massive gun that had ended Chuck's life.

"Claude is the reason the BLUs captured Intelligence on your whereabouts." Rufus said. "Your location was top secret until he broke in!"

"Many good boys died trying to keep that Intel out of his hands, lass," Tavish added. "Including-"

"Shut up, dumkopf!" The Medic snapped. "She doesn't need to hear zis!"

"Including who, Tavish?" Julie asked, although her heart was already sinking. She knew the answer.

"Including your father, miss." Tavish said. "Dell Conagher died on the battlefield, by Claude's hands, trying to keep you safe."

The fatigue, the cold, the stress, the fear, and this news were all suddenly too much for Julie, and she felt faint. She stumbled. Ivan immediately moved to her aid, wrapping one arm around her body to steady her.

"Who was my father?" Julie asked, struggling to stay conscious, and keep from throwing up.

"Focus on ze walk now, child," The Medic said. "Zat is a story for later, vhen you are ready to hear it!"

"There's a cave not far up ahead, where we can make camp!" Butch told Julie. "There's a Teleporter Exit in the cave, which is what we used to get here! Unfortunately, Dell never had time to create an entrance."

"What does that mean?"

"That means we're walking back to base," Rufus replied. "The long way."

"Stay close to me, young lady," Ivan said, "You have long, dangerous journey ahead of you."


End file.
